“ . . . the wheels come off smack in the middle of the project—and you’re left dazed by the side of the road, staring at the smoking wreckage of your work.”

If you haven’t read them before, read them now. If you have read them, read them again. Still each word rings as true as the day it was written.

I came into the mix December 12, 2010, with “The Elephant in the Room”. Steve’s introduction to the article shared a bit of our background together, to include,

“But what really got us working together full-time is this blog. “Writing Wednesdays” was Callie’s idea. Without her, it wouldn’t exist or it would have pooped out months ago. In fact, the blog itself was Callie’s idea. She cracked the whip over me to make me do it.”

In my 13 years of working with Steve, the seeding and then nurturing of “Writing Wednesdays” (ten years old as of July 22 of this year) is at the top of my list of things we did together. “The Elephant in the Room”, opens by touching on that early work, then taps into Shawn’s “Getting the Meeting”, and moves over to a message I’m still repeating today about outreach, and reaching your audience.

In the years that followed, Shawn and I alternated writing the column every Friday, with a few exceptions, when Shawn might go on a run for a few weeks, or I might do the same, or we might feature pieces from the Archives.

Among those messages that appeared within “What It Takes” through the years, reside a few repeated themes that went beyond book publishing insider talk and into each of our lives as and our struggles through our own art and, yes, publishing. They’re along the lines of slowing down and reflecting, learning to say no and learning what no means, doing something and doing something every day, and believing in ourselves when the toxic avengers are on the march. (Baseball and Bob Dylan and the pros from Dover made frequent appearances, too.)

I was thinking about my favorite post, but there isn’t a favorite. When you write over a period of nine years, the articles reflect where you were at that time. There are some I like less, because I know they weren’t my best effort. There were days when I didn’t know what to write and was embarrassed by posting something I wouldn’t want to read myself. Then there were other articles, when I knew the Muse existed outside Steve’s home and was paying me a visit. As I write this now, I can feel her in my head. There’s a soft, calming feeling that comes when she visits. Words just flow. Anxiety doesn’t even try to play her usual games, because she knows I’m on it. I got this. The stomach flip flops leave. The destructive head-talk fades. Frustration flees, too. Just me, the Muse, and my words.

All of the above is a way of saying that, after ignoring that June 2011 deadline, we’re finally hitting it.

This is the last post in the series.

I hope you’ll visit the archived articles. There’s some good stuff in there.

Most important: Thank you for the time you’ve given us every Friday for the past nine years.

Post navigation

Begin today

Start with this War of Art [27-minute] mini-course. It's free. The course's five audio lessons will ground you in the principles and characteristics of the artist's inner battle. Continue each week (also free) with our Writing Wednesdays and What It Takes posts, each one like a new chapter in The War of Art. Plus continual videos, freebies, specials and new material throughout the year.

DO THE WORK

Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.

NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T

Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.

53 Comments

Paulinho Udaon February 15, 2019 at 3:24 am

A part of me does not want this to end, but I know that every journey must have an end, and at this moment, I can only say thank you for all these good times. Hope to see you soon on the next adventure!

Wow. Thank you, all of you. This is an emotional post. Thanks for the links back into the archives. I will review them. And the next thought that popped into my head was – “I wonder what will come next!”

I have been a late comer to this wonderful journey, but I am so glad I found the road! Thank you so much for all of the words- inspiration, thoughts, hard facts- you gave it all and more. As with others, looking forward to the next journey! Blessings and Love!

Oh Callie. We will miss you, your honest voice and your bravery in being so vulnerable in your commitment to be of service to others. Thank you for providing comfort and wisdom. Thank you for being our bridge, for clueing us all in about what it takes to make it over and through the turbulent and troubled waters of being an artist and a professional in these challenging times…

To quote from one of Simon & Garfunkel’s best: “Sail on, Silver Girl…sail on by…

“Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
Oh, if you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind”

WOW, I am so sad this is ending. I understand I guess, I really looked forward to these every Friday. I will go through the archives for sure. Thank you so much for all the amazing articles and good luck with everything in the future. I hope the Muse visits you often.

The thought provoking insights, the shared wisdom, all of it has been so wonderful. I’ll dig into the archives for sure. Thank you for being there for us, your readers and fellow artists. Hoping you’ll have another adventure that springs to life and if you do, I plan on being there to enjoy it.

Thank you for all the work that you have put into this and for keeping the posts available in the archives. There are beginnings and endings, as there should be, but the question that is on my mind is what’s next? Looking forward to see where you go next.

I’m a latecomer, too, and I’d like to thank you. This space holds treasure, even for those not writing. During a difficult transition, I was left dazed by the side of the road, staring at the smoking wreckage of my life! Beginning anew, I appreciate what is here and I apply it.

Thank you for your insights, your humor, your advice, your positive mental attitude, your cheerfulness, you are the friend we all want to have…no doubt we will miss this weekly dose of perfection…I look forward to sharing your next adventure. All the best to you.

Callie,
Closing a cycle when you are done is an art. I will be planning to close my cycle on blog posts for the 7 Goddesses and Female Archetypes in a few months. But who knows?
I appreciate so much the example you set by showing up here regularly. Thanks for cracking the whip over Steve. I’m sure he appreciates this teamwork. None of us are in this alone. Thanks again for showing us that.
Renita

Friday is the end of the week, right? Uh huh. Sitting at my day job, I would get these posts and smile. I’d read them before I’d finished my coffee so I could begin Friday the way I wanted to finish it.

How’s this gonna work now? Holy shit does life goes by fast. Writing won’t change it, even if we pretend, but what else we got?

Cycle Anavar
Make sure you floss your teeth. Flossing is very important. Floss between each of your respective pearly whites separately. Taking care of your again the teeth can get challenging. If you have problems maneuvering floss between certain teeth, think about getting a dental care floss holder or dental care decide on. Get a means of flossing which works for you.Deca Durabolin And Libido
Those looking to preserve electricity and stay a enviromentally friendly existence should consider lowering the volume of lighting effects in their house. Consider if you really need a number of lighting fixtures within a room, or go through by using a reserve light-weight rather than making use of your spaces lights during the night. This simple idea can help a lot to lowering your vitality usage.Drostanolone Legal
A large contributing factor to the creation of hemorrhoids is now being obese – individuals who are over weight will probably create piles. Simply being wholesome both actually and mentally, physical exercise may possibly pay off such as lowering or totally removing your signs or symptoms.Masteron E Cycle

Best to you in your future endeavors. I just found this blog, so I’m really sad–no, frustrated–that it’s going away. But I hope you pop up on my horizon, or I yours, in the future soon. Thanks for all you do.

I’m so sorry that’s my first – and last – comment in here… I had a good time reading you, I taught I finaly found a place where to dig motivation, found the courage to go through the life I think that should be – for me (sorry – I have difficulty to say exactly what I mean in english… which is not my first language….)…
I am thankfull to have found people like you… like you all… I now beleive a little more in human being…
Well… Callie I wish you the best! I hope you will Be somehow you want !